


Inexplicable Love

by 95liners



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: Adopted Siblings, Alternate Universe - High School, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Coming of Age, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Healthy Brotherly Relationships, Multi, Polyamory, Puppy Love, Serious Injuries, Taeyong Is Essentially Mark's Guardian, Violence
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-26
Updated: 2018-12-01
Packaged: 2019-08-07 20:24:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16415339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/95liners/pseuds/95liners
Summary: Taeyong Lee is the golden boy of the school; the top percentile in grades, the school captain - he's loved by both teachers and students.Johnny Seo is the champion of the school; basketball team captain, gifted in both sports and popularity - not only is he attractive, but he's disgustingly nice.Yuta Nakamoto is the delinquent of the school; never listens, is rumoured to be in a gang - he looks like Hot Topic had sex with him.All three are seniors, all three are from vastly different sections of a high school hierarchy - what will happen when they meet?





	1. I.

**Author's Note:**

> yes, i'm starting a new story. yes, it's johnyutae again. are we even surprised?
> 
> once again, trigger warnings will be tagged in the forenotes, so keep an eye on here.
> 
> this is also based off my social media twt au, so if you see an au on twt similar to this, you've found me.

**_“Council.”_ **

**_[Monday, 06:03am]_ **

**_Taeil:_ ** _Taeyong._

_I’m really sorry to ask this …_

_Can you please go into school and do the setting-up for me?_

_I would, but I’ve been up all morning with my sick niece – I’m helping babysit for the week._

**_Me:_ ** _i_

_okay_

_tell nayeon i hope she feels better_

**_Taeil:_ ** _Thank you so much!_

_I’ll treat you ^^_

**_Me:_ ** _ok sure_

_hope ur prepared to actually STICK to this_

 

Five AM starts were never _too_ much of an issue for Taeyong Lee – he was used to waking up early, having done so his whole life. He usually helped around the house; cooking breakfast for himself and his younger brother, ignoring the empty bed of his parents, getting uniforms ready.

Today, however, just wasn’t Taeyong’s morning. He’d stumbled out of bed and into the bathroom, sluggishly but quickly washing his body and drying off. Dressing had proven difficult through his sleepy haze, but only twenty minutes later had Taeyong fully dressed, with his skincare done and hair styled.

“I’m going to be late, going to be late,” Taeyong’s murmurs were constant as he padded through the kitchen to grab breakfast – a simple banana and apple, shoving them into his bag at the table. Snatching his car keys and phone from the counter, Taeyong locked the door behind him and got ready to drive off. It wasn’t until he was at the first traffic lights from his house did he realise …

“ _Shit_ , I forgot about Mark.”

 

**_Me:_ ** _mark_

_markkk_

_im heading into school early, theres money and food in the kitchen for u, plus money for the bus_

_when u wake up, text me_

 

* * *

 

Yuta Nakamoto wasn’t a _bad boy_.

He really wasn’t, that was just the image his classmates decided to give him; with a constant style that screamed _‘i’ll totally fuck your shit up’_ , alongside Yuta’s countless ear piercings that were never the same, it was no wonder that Yuta had quickly become the feared, foreign student at school.

He _really_ wasn’t mean, though – Yuta had his friends and he was never rude to teachers or fellow peers. He walked girls to class if they were being harassed, he never backed down when sticking up for younger kids, and he only engaged in conflict when the situation called for it.

Yuta wasn’t the type to wake up early and get to school – no, he usually barely made it in time and would stroll in like he owned the place. It was very rare that he’d even wake up before eight, really.

This morning was different, however – combined with stress over an upcoming group assignment and frustration over his mother’s new boyfriend, the teenager found himself packed up and leaving just after six AM.

“ _’Do this, Yuta, don’t touch that, Yuta, you’re a disappointment, Yuta’_ – dumbass,” Yuta muttered, throwing his apple in the air as he mocked his mother’s boyfriend. He was approaching the first traffic intersection, preparing to cross the street and stop by the local bakery. One step onto the road, however, and Yuta immediately scrambled backwards when a car – broken down, garishly green and, essentially, _trash_ – sped past.

“SHIT – SORRY!” The voice floated back to Yuta as he became aware of what had actually happened – how he had _almost_ died – and his vision slowly clouded redder as Yuta’s last braincells managed to remember just _why_ the car was so familiar.

“Taeyong … fucking Lee …”

 

_(It’s not like Yuta hated Taeyong Lee, incredibly gifted and talented school captain who was the golden student to all teachers._

_He just … yeah, he hated him)_

 

* * *

 

“Johnny? Wake _up_!”

Waking up to your best friend pushing you off your bed, his younger brother perched on your chair across the room, is nowhere near a desirable wake-up call for Johnny Seo.

Still, that had never stopped Jaehyun and Lucas from getting into his house at all hours of the morning to terrorise Johnny’s morning.

“What – I swear to God, Jung Jaehyun?” Lucas burst into, thankfully soft, laughter at Johnny’s surprise Korean, almost toppling from his seat.

“You scared the English out of him, Jae!” Jaehyun grinned, high-fiving Lucas, before turning back to help Johnny up.

“We’ve got to get in early if we want to meet with the Student Council about the uniforms,” here is where Lucas flushed in shame, eyes tilting down upon remembering the Uniform Incident, “the court and the season.”

Jaehyun hadn’t stopped moving as he talked, already pulling out clothes for Johnny to wear that day. After Lucas had recovered from his shame about the uniforms, he’d found himself on his feet and pulling Johnny up.

“Come on, Johnny! We don’t have much time! **Hurry up!** ” Lucas’ excited Mandarin prompted Johnny to finally awaken fully, mouthing a _‘what the fuck does that mean?’_ to Jaehyun before going to shower and get ready.

 

Ten minutes later saw the three boys in Jaehyun’s car, Lucas shoved into the back as Johnny scrolled through Jaehyun’s music playlist.

“See, you constantly feed into the Korean stereotype by playing TWICE all the damn time,” Johnny groused after finally selecting a song – something by DJ Khaled, definitely – and relaxing back in his chair. He ignored Jaehyun’s grumbling at Johnny cutting off _Signal_ and turned around to look at Lucas, who was deeply engrossed in his phone.

“What’s up, _Xuxi_?” Lucas looked up at the sudden call of his nickname – the nickname only those closest to him (and could pronounce it properly) could use. He turned his phone around so Johnny could look, the senior glancing over to see an influx of texts from … _‘little lion’_.

“Mark’s brother had to leave early and only told him over text, so he’s complaining because his brother usually cooks his breakfast,” Lucas explained, taking his phone back to continue texting. “He’s really hungry too, but his bus is leaving now and he needs to hurry. Jaehyun, can we get Mark some breakfast?”

“The _fuck_ , Lucas? I’m not your chauffeur!” Jaehyun snapped, though he immediately turned into the lane that would take them to McDonald’s. “Ask your boyfriend what he wants from McDonald’s, or he’s getting jack shit.”

_(Jaehyun was an angry driver. He was always angry when driving)_

Amidst Lucas’ petulant _“he’s not my boyfriend”_ and Jaehyun mocking as he pulled into the McDonald’s drive-thru, Johnny opened his phone and about to start texting, when he heard a sudden yell from at the intersection across from the fast-food restaurant, and a disgustingly-garish green car zoom down the road.

“What the hell …?” Jaehyun leant towards Johnny, seeing out of his window, as he slowly drove forward in the line. “Is that … Yuta Nakamoto?”

“Yeah …” Johnny murmured, already recognising the vomit-green car and exactly _who_ it belonged too. He was already pulling up his phone, opening his messages to text the basketball team.

“He doesn’t look happy. Is he okay?” Lucas asked, leaning forward as far as he could and getting shoved back by Jaehyun, before the male began ordering their meals.

“He almost got killed by the school captain – I wouldn’t be happy either."

 

* * *

 

**_Me:_ ** _TAEYONG_

**_big brother:_ ** _ahhhh, markieee_

**_Me:_ ** _don’t be NICE_

_you abandoned me!_

_we have almost no food at home!_

_i had to get lucas’ older brother to buy me breakfast!_

**_big brother:_ ** _really?_

_i made sure there was food for you._

_oh well – i’ll treat you for meat soon ^^_

_and remind me to pay lucas’ older brother back, then_

**_Me:_ ** _you don’t even know him be quiet_

**_big brother:_ ** _maybe i do! i AM the school captain!_

**_Me:_ ** _who is he_

**_big brother:_ ** _…_

_okay fair point_

_but i still want to pay him back_

_who is he?_

**_Me:_ ** _jaehyun jung_

_co-captain of the basketball team with johnny seo_

_hes a junior_

**_big brother:_ ** _okay, awesome_

_thanks mark!!! ^^^^^^^_

**_Me:_ ** _wtvr_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> a beginning of a wild ride!  
> \---  
> follow and talk to [me](https://www.twitter.com/johnyutaes) on twitter.
> 
> send me stuff in [my curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/yutacity).


	2. ii.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Yeah, it’s all over Twitter – your disgustingly familiar car almost ran over Yuta Nakamoto, which isn’t a loss, and it’s going vira-” Taeil was cut off when Doyoung hit him again, his best friend noticing Taeyong’s growing anxiety.
> 
> 'To have a viral video of him – Taeyong Lee, the school captain! – almost hitting a student and then driving off was …
> 
> “Taeyong, you okay?” Doyoung laid a hand on his shoulder, and Taeyong whimpered before leaning against him.
> 
> “It’s only the first day, and this is already happening,” he whined, eyes closing. “Someone just send me off to Norway now.”'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i finished this in home ec.
> 
> no tw's!

Yuta only took three steps past the school gate before someone was barrelling into him, knocking him into the iron railings and pushing the air from his lungs.

 _Ten_.

“YUTA!” His best friend’s arms were wrapped tightly around him, Kun – said male’s boyfriend and Yuta’s other best friend – smiling apologetically as he walked up behind Ten. _Couldn’t stop him, sorry,_ Kun was mouthing and Yuta just sighed, hugging Ten back.

“I saw you yesterday, Ten – what gives?” He extricated himself from Ten’s grasp to straighten out his clothing and raise an eyebrow. Ten was already fumbling for his phone and opened to Twitter – of course, _Twitter_ – where it was already playing a video.

A shaky video of a disgustingly-familiar car almost running him down, the number-plate grainy and not visibly, but anyone who attended their high school would recognise it as the captain’s car.

“How did it already …?” Yuta was in disbelief as he took the phone into his hand, eyeing it over carefully, as Ten wrapped an arm around his waist and began to walk with him into the school, Kun falling into an easy pace next to his boyfriend.

“That doesn’t matter – we all know exactly _who_ tried to kill you, it’s just a matter of _why_!”

“Ten,” Kun began, his tone soft and slightly chastising, “stop assuming that Taeyong tried to kill Yuta. Maybe it was an accident? He might’ve been in a hurry.” Ten paused as his boyfriend’s words sunk in, sighing and letting go of Yuta to grab Kun’s hand.

“I’m fine, Ten, don’t worry-” Yuta piped up in the lull of conversation, handing Ten’s phone back, “- I’ll be okay. No uptight school captain can keep me down.”

Ten grinned back at Yuta, shoving him lightly with his shoulder. Kun leant forward so he could shoot a warm smile at the Japanese male, forever a grounding figure against Ten’s whirlwind of character.

Yuta knew he was truly blessed to have best friends like them.

 

Yuta’s morning found himself in the library, furiously swotting over his assignment that his group mate wasn’t even _there_ for. It was now steadily approaching eight in the morning, and Yuta was incredibly close to losing his mind, when his phone lit up with a FaceTime call from a contact he’d _never_ avoid.

“Morning baby,” Yuta crooned as he moved to an abandoned corner of the mostly-empty library, ignoring Sicheng’s disgusted look through the camera.

“I’m so glad I’m not there right now,” Sicheng griped, his camera shaky and quality bad but still portraying just how attractive the Chinese male was. “Are you – holy shit, are you _actually_ in a library?”

“Shut up – I’m working on an assignment because my partner said she’d castrate me if I didn’t do my part,” Yuta was mumbling now as he talked, sinking down against the wall and getting comfortable. “I miss you, though! My favourite junior –” _(“That’s not a label I want.”)_ “-it’s so lonely without you!”

“Get a boyfriend, then.”

“Ouch – just because you’re grossly in love with your girlfriend doesn’t mean you can be so rude to me!” Yuta bemoaned as he sunk down into a lying position, Sicheng scoffing but fondness seeping through his expression.

“I miss her already – I can’t want to be back in America purely just so I can see her. Not you at all.”

“You’re mean!” Yuta sat up straight then, steadying the camera so he could meet Sicheng’s grainy gaze. “Will you actually be nice to Ten this time?”

The Chinese male hummed softly, looking around before finally meeting Yuta’s eyes again.

“Probably not – you know I love Kun, he’s so nice, but Ten always pushes my buttons.”

A grin spread across Yuta’s face – he always loved speaking to Sicheng. Having befriended the male when he was new to high school meant Yuta got to see Sicheng grow up from a scrawny fourteen-year-old to, well, two years later when he was a lean and confident sixteen-year-old. Despite their constant arguing and Sicheng’s blasé attitude to Yuta’s love declarations, Yuta knew that the Chinese male cared deeply for him and was truly one of his best friends.

“Anyway, I have to go now – the librarian is glaring at me through a book rack. Love you loads, don’t do anything dumb – bye!” Yuta hung up with a kiss to Sicheng and a wink at the glowering librarian.

* * *

**_Me:_ ** _mark_

_hey_

_do you have jaehyun jung’s number?_

**_baby brother:_ ** _no?_

_why would i have jaehyun’s number?_

**_Me:_ ** _i know full well you have his number_

 **_baby brother:_ ** _…_

_xxx-xxx-xxx-xx here_

_that’s not jaehyuns but its johnnys – theyre best friends so you can get to him_

**_Me:_ ** _wait_

_johnny as in_

_johnny seo? co captain of the basketball team?_

**_baby brother:_ ** _what other johnny seo is there_

_text him if u want to get to jaehyun, i gotta go get ready for class_

**_Me:_ ** _MARK WAIT_

_ITS ONLY 8_

_WHY CANT U JUST ASK LUCAS TO GIVE U HIS NUMBER_

_MARK COME BACK_

* * *

“How are you going to organise the meeting?”

Johnny and Jaehyun were perched on the bonnet of Jaehyun’s car, Lucas having ran off to find Mark half an hour ago. Armed with breakfast burgers and coffees from McDonald’s, it was nice for Johnny to sit comfortably with his best friend and enjoy the morning.

“I thought I’d just go find him – we have some classes together, and I think the council is aware that the basketball team _is_ going to come see them about this at some point,” Johnny explained around a mouthful of coffee, shifting to get comfortable as his phone buzzed in his pockets. “What the …?”

“Dude, someone managed to film Taeyong and Yuta this morning, and it’s already on Twitter!” Jaehyun shoved his phone in Johnny’s face, the taller male’s reflecting a text from the basketball team’s group chat with the same video.

“Who filmed it?” Johnny asked, already making out how Yuta stumbled back onto the pavement, or the shaky start of Taeyong’s car like he was taken unaware of something. “Surely this is against some law?”

“It was Annaliese – yeah, you know her? Pretentious sophomore; she was at the Starbucks across the road and was lucky enough to film it in time,” Jaehyun explained as he pulled his phone back to watch the video again, pressing the like button and turning the device off.

“Dude – don’t like it!”

“Why not? If it gets taken down it’s taken down – the principal isn’t going to punish the thousands of likes on this one video,” Jaehyun complained as Johnny already started packing up and getting ready to go in. “Come _on_ , Johnny – it’ll be fine!”

Johnny sighed, helping the other down. Jaehyun was his closest friend, and basically his little brother, but sometimes he just didn’t think about what he did. Johnny knew Jaehyun always meant the best – he was a bleeding heart and was never rude or hurtful to anyone – but his maturity had yet to grow and develop.

“Let’s just head in – I want to look over how bad the uniforms are again. Who on _earth_ gave _Xuxi_ access to a super-glue?”

* * *

“Yong!”

Taeyong’s head snapped up just as someone barrelled over to him, almost knocking him off the chair and to the floor.

“Wh- Taeil!”

Taeil Moon, community captain and on the prefect board, grinned up at his best friend from his spot; precariously perched on Taeyong’s lap. Behind him was Doyoung Kim, Taeyong’s childhood best friend and vice-captain. His badges – vice-captain, band captain, academic captain _(Doyoung was a high achiever)_ – glinted on his shirt and added to his composed and elegant demeanour.

“Morning, Yong – thanks for coming in early!” Taeil planted a quick kiss to Taeyong’s temple and hopped off him, flopping into the chair next to him as Doyoung pulled a seat over and sat next to the two.

“You finished the reports?” Doyoung’s voice was calm and soothing to Taeyong’s aching head, and he nodded tiredly.

“Just finished them now – we have to handle some disputes later this week, and the basketball team will be coming in _God_ knows when to handle their issues – no one seems to be organised.” Taeyong dropped his head to the table, bemoaning loudly and sighing when a hand coursed through his black hair.

“It’ll be fine – you have us, plus Seungcheol will be back this term so he can resume his duties.” Seungcheol was the other prefect – social captain – who handled all the events both inside and outside of school. He’d been off for a term as he was on exchange back in South Korea but was finally back.

Taeyong always thanked God for giving him dependable Seungcheol when he had prefects like his best friends.

“Anyway, you really were busy this morning, weren’t you?” Taeil began, a hint of mischief tinting his tone. “Writing my reports, being the dependable eldest son, almost killing a menace to the school community-” Taeil was cut off as Doyoung leant over to hit him, and Taeyong shot up.

“W-What?”

“Yeah, it’s all over Twitter – your disgustingly familiar car almost ran over Yuta Nakamoto, which isn’t a loss, and it’s going vira-” Taeil was cut off when Doyoung hit him again, his best friend noticing Taeyong’s growing anxiety.

To have a viral video of him – Taeyong Lee, the _school captain!_ – almost hitting a student and then driving off was …

“Taeyong, you okay?” Doyoung laid a hand on his shoulder, and Taeyong whimpered before leaning against him.

“It’s only the _first day_ , and this is already happening,” he whined, eyes closing. “Someone just send me off to Norway now.”

“Why not the South Pole?”

“I want to be in a functioning society.”

“You’ll be forever haunted by Nakamoto-”

“He’s _not dead_ , and don’t mention his name in my presence-”

Doyoung cut off Taeyong and Taeil’s squabbling with a raised hand, stroking his friend’s hair, before helping Taeyong sit up.

“It’ll be fine, Tae –” Taeyong shot Doyoung a weak glare, one the vice-captain immediately ignored, “- don’t worry. You won’t get in trouble – maybe you’ll have to pay for any damages or do something, but it should be fine.” Doyoung ended his comforting with a soft pat to Taeyong’s shoulder, who just whined and dropped his head to the table.

A muffled slew of speech could be heard, but there was absolutely _no_ way in hell that either Taeil or Doyoung could decipher it.

“What’d you say, Yong?” Taeil asked, leaning closer and wrapping an arm around the male’s slender waist.

“I _said_ ,” Taeyong muttered, propping his chin on the table and pouting in a way that should’ve been dangerous but was just _cute_ , “that as long as I don’t have to spend time with _Nakamoto_ , I’ll do whatever.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> yutae just really hate each other.  
> \---  
> follow and talk to [me](https://www.twitter.com/johnyutaes) on twitter.
> 
> send me stuff in [my curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/yutacity).


	3. III.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Taeyong’s day started with the usual – sitting through his homeroom class, staring at the back of Johnny Seo’s head."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> clocked over 2k for this one, leth get thith breadth

Taeyong’s day started with the usual – sitting through his homeroom class, staring at the back of Johnny Seo’s head.

Call him a lovesick, teenage girl – whatever. Taeyong didn’t care; he worked hard to get his position, to make sure Mark and himself had a roof over their heads and food on their table. Of _course,_ he was going to allow himself one indulgence, which took the form of Johnny Seo.

A senior like him, Johnny was only eighteen-years-old and already a force to be reckoned with on the basketball court. He was the co-captain, alongside Jaehyun Jung, and his playing was so charismatic it was almost impossible to _not_ look at him.

Not that Taeyong cared about basketball at _all_ , but he cared about Johnny.

It was a dumb crush, however, and Taeyong had resigned himself to that fact. Besides, he had no time for love – Taeyong had his baby brother to look after, and his GPA to maintain, and that was all that mattered to him.

 

Even if you didn’t _explicitly_ know that Mark and Taeyong Lee were siblings, you still knew; they may not have shared distinctive features that would immediately recognise them as siblings, but the two acted very similar. Both brothers loved and fiercely protected each other, both were incredibly stubborn and hardworking, and both were guarded and secretive.

Luckily, they had their supports – Mark with his best friend slash crush, Lucas Jung, and Taeyong with his best friend, Doyoung Kim.

This meant that Doyoung knew why Taeyong was so tired at ten in the morning, and how he’d slide the male some extra food for energy. Doyoung knew all about Taeyong’s early mornings every day to make sure Mark had breakfast and everything ready, and the late nights when he’d pore over his books and prefect reports.

Taeyong was no stranger to hard work, but he didn’t resent it – after all, it was the only thing he knew.

 

Still, Taeyong knew that whilst he worked hard and had to continue if he wanted to go above and beyond in life – be someone his brother could rely on – he could allow himself _some_ pleasures in life.

So, each morning at nine thirty on the dot, Johnny Seo would sit down in homeroom class, and Taeyong would peacefully lose himself in concocted fantasies about a high school sports legend and a nerdy school captain.

* * *

 

The day passed quickly for Yuta. It always did.

He sat through classes, acted like he did the bare minimum but really memorised and catalogued all the information.

_(Teachers always said that he could be as smart as Taeyong Lee if he applied himself. Yuta just rolled his eyes and ignored the stab at the comparison. He knew he’d never be that good)_

Ten harassed him throughout Biology, History _and_ English, and Kun took over to help keep Yuta awake and sane for lunch.

Lunch was better, though. Yuta was sitting against a large tree, situated to the corner of the school grounds. Students milled around him; a typical, American high-school setting. The sun warmed his skin deliciously, and Yuta was seriously debating a nap until something – no, some _one_ – plopped down into his lap.

“Ten?” Yuta coughed, view obscured by the blackness of a shirt against his eyes, the figure leaning forward to turn around and smile.

“Sorry about that – must’ve slipped.” Kun shot him a mischievous grin, sliding off his lap and onto Ten’s straight after. Yuta sighed dramatically, taking the offered packet of chips from Ten, and flopped back against the tree.

“I’m so _bored_ , guys. I’m _bored_ , and everyone is still watching the video because I can hear them all whispering!”

Kun sighed at Yuta’s outburst, turning to face Ten and shake his head surreptitiously. Ten gently nudged a foot out to rub against Yuta’s leg, cooing in sympathy.

“Everyone will forget by tomorrow, and if we’re lucky maybe the principal will punish Lee for this.” Ten was one second away from cackling at the end, but the words brought a soft smile to Yuta’s cheeks.

“I really do hate that bastard,” he couldn’t help but mumble, ignoring Kun’s muffled _“it’s been four years”_ to close his eyes and just _picture_ the look on Taeyong Lee’s – the school’s golden boy – face when he receives a punishment for misrepresenting the school

_(A part of him knew that he shouldn’t, that it’s cruel to wish such a thing on someone he knew would not handle it well. The petty part of him won out)_

“He’s done nothing to you since-” Kun began, but Ten elbowed him when Yuta shot a disdainful look towards the male.

Kun and Ten were his best friends, yes, but only from junior year onwards. They weren’t there when the whole drama between Yuta and Taeyong went down; Yuta only told Ten and Kun what he wanted them to know, which was that Taeyong had said awful things to him and they’d gotten into a fight and hated each other ever since.

Yuta had never told them that they used to be best friends, inseparable since kindergarten. Kun and Ten had never found out that Yuta knew everything about Taeyong, and that he _still_ knew things that no one else would ever know. Yuta had kept everything secret, because he didn’t ever want to think about that fight, in the days leading up to freshman year.

“Just drop it guys, please?” Yuta’s rare pleading expression broke through the two males, and Kun heaved a sigh before shuffling to sit next to Yuta and rest his head on his shoulder. Ten followed suit, stealing some of his lunch and swinging a leg over his best friends.

“Okay,” Kun murmured softly, looking up at everyone in the courtyard, milling around. “You got it.”

* * *

Afternoon practice came faster than Johnny expected.

Last time he checked, it was ten in the morning and Jeonghan, his lab partner, had almost burnt a hole in their shirts during chemistry. Now, Johnny was in his practice gear and looking at his basketball team – comprised of old _and_ new students – trickle in from the locker room. Jaehyun was next to him, hunched over a clipboard with a pen behind each ear and one between his lips. Lucas was next to him, half-asleep and propped against his brother, staring blankly at the ground.

“Ask these when you go to see Lee, okay?” Johnny was startled out of his reverie by Jaehyun’s voice, looking down to see the male pushing the clipboard to him. On the paper was Jaehyun’s scrawl, barely legible, with harried notations on the side.

  * _ask abt uniforms_
  * _check if funding is in_
  * _new equipment??????_
  * _when will –_ (Johnny could not decipher this part for the life of him)



“This all, chief?” Johnny asked, tone dry as he took the clipboard and flicked one of the pens out from behind Jaehyun’s ear. The younger male squawked loudly, drawing the attention of the team and startling Lucas from his slumber.

“Just _go!_ ” Jaehyun was pushing him now, walking him to the door and out. Johnny turned back to grin at him; a wicked smile that conveyed only mischief.

“You want me to pass on your number to Kim, as well? I’m sure Doyoung would _love_ it-” Johnny was awarded with the _crack!_ of a slap on his back, Jaehyun’s face burning red as he turned to tail it back into the gym.

 

The prefects’ room wasn’t hard to find, situated in an accessible hallway near the front of the school. A sign was taped to the door – _‘Prefects/Council Room.’_ – and a small box for appointments and complaints were situated outside.

See, the prefects slash council weren’t just captains that represented the school and spoke at events – they handled the school council and any issues students had. Taeyong Lee, as school captain, automatically became the school council captain, and it was no secret that he was the best they’d ever had. Calm and composed, Taeyong had a way with words _and_ actions, and always found a solution to everyone’s problems. He was charming and charismatic, and there were few who didn’t like him.

_(No one as much as Yuta Nakamoto, however – it was known throughout the entire school, even the new freshman who were fourteen and scared of everyone, that Yuta and Taeyong never got along)_

Johnny exhaled slowly as he stood outside the room, holding the clipboard in his hands. He hadn’t scheduled an appointment, but the council knew he was coming so they _should_ accept him in, right?

He lifted a hand to knock on the door, the vibrations reverberating through the wood, until the door cracked open slightly and … _Mark_?

“Oh – Johnny!” Mark opened the door further, grinning up at the senior. Johnny couldn’t help but smile back, a rush of warmth spreading through him at the young fourteen-year-old before him. Mark Lee, Lucas’ best friend and lowkey crush, was one of the most _adorable_ kids Johnny had ever seen; his hair was mousy-brown and hurriedly combed, his face still retained baby fat and his eyes were sparkling and innocent.

Johnny never wanted to protect someone so much.

Everyone loved Mark – he was one of the most popular kids in the freshman year and didn’t seem to have a harsh bone in his body. Jaehyun had immediately warmed to him when he first met him – despite Jaehyun’s apparently harsh treatment of his brother, one that belied everyone’s impression of him, the male cared _deeply_ for Lucas and would not have tolerated anyone toxic as his brother’s best friend.

However, the younger brother of the school captain? Who was also kind and sweet? Mark was a dream teenager, in all honesty.

 

Johnny was pulled, again, from his reverie as Mark moved so Johnny could move in, giving him full view of the council and everyone inside. He could see the community captain Taeil Moon sitting on the table, back towards Johnny and facing a female – Nayoung Im, one of the council leaders and senior like himself. Doyoung Kim, the vice-captain, was hunched over some paper as he talked on the phone to someone, gestures slowly growing wilder …

And there was Taeyong.

He was sitting at the other end of the table, a pen between his teeth, intently gazing at some paper. Johnny could tell it wasn’t his work, what with the amount of red scribbled over it. Mark followed Johnny’s gaze and smiled warmly, leaning against the doorframe slightly.

“Tae’s looking over my work – my teacher absolutely _tore_ my draft apart, so Taeyong offered to go over the revisions with me and help me out.” The absolute reverence in the younger male’s voice shook Johnny, feeling the absolute admiration Mark held for his brother.

Johnny moved to take one step in and the room immediately froze; Nayoung stopped midsentence, looking over to Johnny, and Taeil turned to see the senior standing there. Doyoung spared him a glance before going back to his paper, breaking from his conversation to say loudly:

“Basketball.”

Taeyong’s head snapped up then, so fast that Johnny thought the slender male might’ve snapped his neck, and immediately took the pen from his teeth.

“You’re here now?” Johnny internally flinched at Taeyong’s tone – not angry, but just … confused, and it didn’t seem in a good way. “I-I mean … you didn’t book an appointment?”

“Sorry about that,” Johnny said, and he truly was sorry. “I, uh … just didn’t get around to it, but if you need one, I can go-”

Taeyong was standing up then, knocking into the table and hurrying over to where he was standing, Mark behind him.

“No! You can, uh – I’ll come talk to you now, if you want? We’re going to get busier throughout the week-” – _(“No, you won’t,” Mark piped up quietly, but immediately silenced himself)_ – “– so we can meet now …?”

Johnny froze – he would’ve rather met later, as he didn’t want to miss the practice, but Taeyong seemed intent on now.

“I don’t want to take too much of your time, and I have a practice to get back to … can we talk now about another time?” Johnny proposed, watching as Taeyong seemed to retreat in himself to think it over, before nodding.

“Sounds good – wait outside, I’ll be there in a second.”

Taeyong was already moving back to grab some stuff – a book and a pen – and came back to usher both Mark inside and Johnny outside.

“I’ll be back to check your work later, okay?” Johnny noticed how Taeyong’s tone changed when he talked to Mark – quieter, calmer – and he also noticed how he acted differently.

_(He couldn’t put a word to it, but he knew for sure that the Lees’ relationship was completely different to Jaehyun and Lucas)_

 

“So, you want to talk about … the uniforms, your game season and … fashion?” Taeyong squinted as he leant closer to read Jaehyun’s scrawl, Johnny sighing before gently extricating the paper from his grasp.

“Sorry about my co-captain’s scrawl – it says ‘funding’. We just want to go over everything, which is why I wanted to spend more time in a meeting,” Johnny explained, laying the paper out and smoothing out the crinkles. Taeyong’s eyes followed each methodical movement.

“This week will be busy with handling the ‘back-to-school’ functions, and we’re getting back Seungcheol –” Johnny heard the unsaid relief in Taeyong’s tone, “– plus the rest of our council, so it’ll be hectic. Maybe … next week?”

Taeyong was mentally running over things, hand flying over the paper to jot things down. Johnny took the time to watch as Taeyong wrote, making out what he’d been writing.

_m – 5 st. 6 br. drive mark. mtg - > 4-6. 7 dn. 8 clean. 9 help mark w/ st. 10-1 st. _

_t – 5 st. 6 br. 6.30 mark tennis. mtg - > 4-6. 7 dn. 8 clean. 9 help mark w/ st. 10-2 st._

… and just repeats of that; if Johnny was correct, it was Taeyong’s schedule for the week.

_(It was awfully busy)_

“I’m not good until … Friday, next week, maybe the weekend? It’ll have to be outside of school time, sorry,” Taeyong began, letting his pen fall and clatter softly against the table. “Are you okay with meeting around that time?”

Johnny nodded, taking the pen and quickly scrawling on Taeyong’s paper.

“Here’s my number – I’m good for Friday afternoon and all-day Saturday. Just text me when you’re ready, okay?”

Taeyong’s smile, small but growing steadily across his face, was all the answer that Johnny needed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i love developing the lees sm 
> 
> also if yall are familiar with my au on twitter that this is based off of, you mightve realised that its definitely not completely the same.  
> \---  
> follow and talk to [me](https://www.twitter.com/johnyutaes) on twitter.
> 
> send me stuff in [my curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/yutacity).


	4. iv.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> 'It was quiet, sitting on the bleachers alone, but Johnny loved it. He reclined and watched the boys on the grass – Mark running alongside Lucas and laughing whenever Jungwoo would trip Jaehyun, cheering whenever he got the ball off the older boys. It was pure, and Johnny could’ve watched them forever.
> 
> However, the incessant buzzing of Mark’s phone next to him distracted him.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW; panic attacks in the first and third section of this chapter. it is the same panic attack described in two different pov's, but the first section is more descriptive.
> 
> UHHH thank u to ditto and chey for helping me actually start this chap.
> 
> im an official graduate FINALLY. been an official one for almost two weeks now.

_“Tae, are you taking me home?”_

“I’m sorry, Mark, but I’m still working.” Taeyong balanced the phone between his ear and shoulder, shuffling papers and shifting his work around. It was nearing six pm, and Taeyong knew he had to get his baby brother home and start dinner, but he really had to finish these reports, and he had to check all the profiles of the new students, and he _really_ had to organise the meetings with the clubs, and-

 _“Tae, hyung, calm down. I can hear you hyperventilating.” _Mark’s sudden switch to Korean, the brothers’ native tongue, shocked Taeyong out of his anxiety and he stared down at the papers in his hands.

“I’m sorry, Mark-ie,” Taeyong whispered, voice shaking and exhaustion colouring his words. “Hyung’s sorry.”

 _“It’s fine, Tae. Xuxi is still here with his brother; I’m going to wait with them for you, okay?”_ Fuck, Mark was too good for Taeyong. He exhaled shakily, nodding. This was good; Mark’s best friend, Lucas, was a great companion and always kept his younger brother happy. This was fine, and Taeyong would be finished soon.

“Thank you, Mark. I’ll be done soon, I promise.” Silence reigned after Taeyong spoke, a tenseness that hadn’t been there before now replacing everything.

Both Mark and Taeyong knew that the promise, whilst in the best intentions, was nothing more than a comfort. With a mumbled, _“okay, Tae. See you soon,”_ Mark was hanging up, and Taeyong was dropping the phone to bury his face in his hands and choke out a shaky _“fuck_ ”.

 

It took him five minutes to calm down, five minutes he could’ve spent going over his profiles, and Taeyong had to move so he didn’t get tears on the papers, but now he was ready to get back to work and finish before six.

However, reading is much harder when your vision is constantly blurring and you have to pause to sniffle and wipe at your eyes, lest you cry all over your work.

“Fu-Fuck,” Taeyong gasped, pushing away from the table and doubling over, arms tight around his middle. He could feel anxiety clawing at his throat, choking out all clarity and replacing it with _breathe, breathe, i can’t breathe, i can’t fucking breathe i need help_. His fingers clutched at his shirt, knuckles paper-white with how hard he was grasping himself.

Broken gasps filled the empty council room, punctuated with choked sobs, and Taeyong’s eyes shut tight to stem the onslaught of tears. It was the _first day_ , and he was already suffering through a panic attack. _i’m weak, i’m so weak, i can’t do this-_ Taeyong couldn’t help his thought process; if he was thinking clearly, he’d never blame himself for this. Years of growing up early, of private meetings with the school’s counsellor that actually _helped_ , taught Taeyong that his anxiety was never his fault, that he couldn’t blame himself and he was _never_ weak. However, in the shock of the moment when he was fighting to catch his breath, Taeyong couldn’t help but sob at how _awfully helpless_ he felt.

“Tae – _fuck_ , Taeyong? Are you okay?”

 

* * *

 

“Where’s your brother, Mark?” Johnny looked down at the fourteen-year-old, sprawled across Lucas’ lap and staring listlessly at the grass.

They – they, being Johnny, Jaehyun, Lucas and his little tag-along – were currently on the bleachers looking over the school field. Jaehyun was on the grass, kicking a ball around with some of his friends, whilst Lucas was on his phone and carding a hand through Mark’s hair.

“He’s working.” Mark sounded petulant and tired, moving to bury his face in Lucas’ legs and sigh loudly. “I told him that it was fine, I’d wait with you guys as long as you were all here, but I miss him.”

“You see him all the time,” Lucas piped up, all innocence and naivety, but Johnny could see where Mark was coming from. He missed his brother hanging out with him, something Lucas would never know – Jaehyun and his younger brother fought like cats and dogs, but Jaehyun always let Lucas tag along with him and always had time for him.

Taeyong, however – he was constantly busy, and whilst Johnny could see he cared and loved for his brother intensely, he was always balancing school and home life. He had a sneaking suspicion that Mark was used to Taeyong’s harsh workload and didn’t like it.

After all, he was still a kid.

“He’ll be out soon, buddy. I’m sure he doesn’t want to keep you waiting too long,” Johnny began, his tone soft like he was talking to a three-year-old and couldn’t help but sadly smile when Mark flipped around to look up at him, eyes suspiciously wet.

“He always says that, but then h-he’s not getting home until six, sometimes later!” Mark’s voice wavered slightly, and Lucas looked up from his phone to glare at Johnny before gathering Mark into a hug and rubbing his back.

“It’s okay, lion, you can wait with us!” Johnny marvelled at how easily Lucas calmed down his best friend, when he is usually so chaotic in every other facet of life. “Want to go kick the ball with Jaehyun? I can see he’s getting bored kicking around with Jungwoo – let’s go harass them.”

With a sniffle and a hand coming to wipe at unshed tears, Mark was nodding and sliding off Lucas’ lap to grab his hand and be led down to where Jaehyun and Jungwoo were, Jaehyun going to argue with Lucas before evidently noticing Mark’s red eyes. Johnny smiled softly as Jaehyun’s expression softened and he leant to clap Mark’s shoulder, kicking the ball to him and playing around with the two freshmen.

It was quiet, sitting on the bleachers alone, but Johnny loved it. He reclined and watched the boys on the grass – Mark running alongside Lucas and laughing whenever Jungwoo would trip Jaehyun, cheering whenever he got the ball off the older boys. It was pure, and Johnny could’ve watched them forever.

However, the incessant buzzing of Mark’s phone next to him distracted him.

He knew he shouldn’t go through the younger’s phone, and he didn’t! Just, the texts from _“big brother”_ seemed very important, and Johnny watched as they came through. He slowly swiped on one, surprised at Mark’s lack of passcode, and opened to messages.

**_big brother:_ ** _Uh, is this Mark?_

_I’m with Taeyong. He’s not doing so hot._

_He’s in the council room, he keeps talking about you._

_Come get him, please._

* * *

__

 

Yuta tried to spend as little time as he could at home; this resulted in him aimlessly wandering around the school after it had finished.

Holing up in the library worked until it closed at five, and he’d mostly finished his assignment by then, so he took the time to walk the halls and look at the school when students were absent. It was eerie, out-of-place; Yuta loved it.

He thrived off being alone – he loved his best friends, and they were the only people he really spent time with. He liked having time to think, to relax with his headphones and own thoughts.

Yuta found himself drifting through the halls in the left wing, hands deeply entrenched in his pockets. He whistled lowly and listened to the echo, entertaining himself for a good few minutes, until he was turning down the hall of the council room.

The door to the council room was slightly ajar, a sliver of light peeking through, and as Yuta walked past, he heard something.

“What the fuck …?”

He moved closer, gently nudging the door open with his foot, and his eyes widened when he realised what exactly he had heard.

Taeyong Lee – Taeyong, the bane of his existence – was hunched over in his chair, choking out sounds that Yuta _definitely_ knew were sobs. He was shaking visibly and was clutching so tightly to his shirt, Yuta thought the seams would rip off.

“Tae – _fuck_ , Taeyong? Are you okay?”

Without a second thought, Yuta was rushing over and falling to his knees in front of the male, hands hesitating before shakily running through Taeyong’s hair and garnering another choked cry from him.

“Hey, Tae, it’s okay. Just – come down, come down next to me.” Yuta couldn’t believe he was really doing this, easing Taeyong off his chair and falling onto his butt so Taeyong could crawl onto his lap. He couldn’t believe that he was letting the school captain – the boy he hated so much, with his pretentious airs and attitudes – cry onto his shoulder as he rubbed his back.

He couldn’t believe that he couldn’t hate him in this moment.

Because Yuta had seen Taeyong’s attacks before, when they were younger and Taeyong barely knew what anxiety was. When they’d be playing, and he’d suddenly stop and fall to the ground, wheezing for air and crying desperately.

_(Yuta had held him the exact same way then)_

“Hey, Taeyong – Yong-ie, calm down. You need to breathe, Yong,” Yuta whispered, pressing his lips to Taeyong’s temple and letting his words wash over the skin. Taeyong whimpered, choking out something, and Yuta shushed him and rubbed his back.

“What’s that, Tae? You need to calm down so you can tell me, huh?”

Taeyong shook his head and sobbed harder, body finally relaxing as he let go, tears absolutely soaking into Yuta’s shirt.

 

It took another twenty minutes for Taeyong to calm down, until he was sniffling and trembling in Yuta’s arms. It took him _another_ five minutes for him to finally crawl off the Japanese male’s lap, plopping down next to him and wiping at his red eyes.

Before he could speak, however, the door slammed open and Mark ran in, gasping and looking distraught.

“Hyung!” Mark cried out in Korean and collapsed next to Taeyong, grabbing his face and hair. He looked over his older brother frantically, checking him, before collapsing against his chest and sobbing loud and unbidden.

“It’s okay, Mark-ie, it’s okay.” Yuta watched as Taeyong pushed aside his own grief to pull Mark closer; rubbing his back how he’d rubbed Taeyong’s, kissing his temple how he’d kissed Taeyong’s.

It wasn’t long until Yuta was standing up and slipping out, leaving the brothers alone. Neither had even noticed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> taeyong's anxiety is based more around mine, just different triggers that set it off.  
> \---  
> follow and talk to [me](https://www.twitter.com/johnyutaes) on twitter.
> 
> send me stuff in [my curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/yutacity).


	5. V. pt 1.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ' _“Will he be okay?”_ Yuta had asked then, and his mother had reassured him that yes, he would.  
>  Looking back on what had happened today, six years later, Yuta wasn’t sure his mother was correct.'

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> TW; second section has descriptions of a fight. not that bad, just in case.
> 
> i planned to have this much longer but it would be way too long so here we go!
> 
> also, this chapter is called pt 1 because the next one is a DIRECT follow on from this one, so it works together but its way too long to put into one chapter.

**_asshole:_ ** _hey_

_um_

_thanks for this afternoon._

**_Me:_ ** _Why do you still have my number?_

**_asshole:_ ** _if you recognise me, u obviously still have my number_

_asshole._

_i take my thanks back then._

**_Me:_ ** _It’s … whatever._

_I’m not cruel enough to leave someone by themselves when they’re having a panic attack._

**_asshole:_ ** _yeah_

_anyway_

_thanks_

**_Me:_ ** _Don’t text me again._

**_asshole:_ ** _fine then i WONT._

Home was … quiet, for once.

Yuta’s mother was nowhere to be seen, as was her boyfriend, so Yuta relished in the solace by grabbing some cup ramen and eating in the living room. The television was quietly glaring football as the evening dragged on, and yet Yuta’s mind was elsewhere.

Taeyong.

He hadn’t seen the male that bad since his anxiety was first diagnosed, when they were both twelve and Taeyong still had that childish belief that one day his father would come home, that his mother would smile at her two sons. The two had been at Yuta’s, Mark asleep on Yuta’s bed because he was sick and couldn’t stay home alone.

Yuta remembered how his mother had come up to tell Taeyong that she’s _“really sorry, dear, but your mother won’t be home again because of work. She asked if you could stay here tonight, which I agreed to. You’re always welcome, darling.”_

Yuta had watched how Taeyong’s face had dropped, his skin paling, and it had taken all of a minute before he was hunched over and fighting for air, grasping at Ms Nakamoto’s shirt as she tried to hug him close.

 _“I think it’s anxiety, Yuta,”_ she was whispering later, stroking Taeyong’s hair as he slept fitfully with his head in her lap. Yuta knew what that meant – his mother was a psychiatrist and was constantly fostering a healthy home environment surrounding mental illnesses. He looked down at his best friend, lips turning down in a frown, before up at his mother.

 _“Will he be okay?”_ Yuta had asked then, and his mother had reassured him that yes, he would.

Looking back on what had happened today, six years later, Yuta wasn’t sure his mother was correct.

 

* * *

 

 

_“You okay, lion?”_

Taeyong could hear Lucas’ voice through Mark’s phone, his voice easily carrying down the lines and loud enough that Taeyong – sitting next to Mark as the younger did his homework – could easily hear his words.

“’m good, Xuxi,” Mark murmured in response as he rapidly scratched down mathematical equations, Taeyong quietly watching over his shoulder. He didn’t seem to mind, however, reaching only to tug lightly at his older brother’s chair. Taeyong took the hint and moved closer, letting Mark lean back against his frame and continue working.

 _“Are you doing the English homework?”_ Lucas asked, Mark humming a _“no,”_ as he finally finished the page and flipped it over to check his answers.

All correct.

“Doin’ the math homework. I’ll do English later –” Mark cut himself off when Taeyong prodded his thigh, sighing softly. “– I’ll do it now, let me get it out.”

 _“Okay, I’ll – what? Jaehyun? … Okay, coming! Sorry, cub, I gotta go! Call you back soon, I’ll text you first!”_ Lucas hung up a moment later, Mark slowly setting his phone down before glaring at his homework.

“You okay, Mark?” Taeyong’s words had his little brother curling closer to him, knees pulling to his chest. He looked troubled, and it struck Taeyong painfully that he knew he’d caused it.

“I’m worried, Tae …” Mark began, his voice quiet but steady. “You … you work a lot, and you do so much for me. I, _God_ , I appreciate you so much and everything you’ve done, but sometimes I just … I want you with _me_.”

As he’d talked, Mark had shrunk until he was curled into a tight ball and his voice shook. Taeyong’s heart constricted and he couldn’t stop himself from wrapping his arms around the younger male and burying his face in soft, brown hair.

“Mark … _Markie_ ,” Taeyong whispered and pulled his brother closer when he gasped a quiet sob, “don’t worry about me. _Please_. You’re – You’re so young, Markie, just enjoy freshman year with your friends and – and don’t let anything stress you out.”

Before he knew it, Mark was turning around to crawl into Taeyong’s lap – a second time for the day – and burying his face in his shoulder. His shirt soon grew wet around his shoulder from Mark’s tears, small body shaking in Taeyong’s grasp.

“Don’t worry about me, Mark,” Taeyong’s voice was steady, comforting. He’d perfected it over the last fourteen years, ever since Mark had been born and Taeyong had been trusted with the task of looking after his baby brother. “Let your older brother worry about _you_.”

 

It was nearing two in the morning, and Taeyong _still wasn’t finished_.

He’d finally made it through his reports, but his math assignment sat in front of him and he just couldn’t make his brain work.

All evening had been derailed from his usual schedule to console Mark – after both breakdowns in the council room, and then Mark’s second upset, Taeyong had spent the entire evening with Mark curled into his side as he ordered Chinese takeout and ignored the stir-fry ingredients sitting in his fridge.

After guiding a half-asleep Mark to his bed and letting the teenager crash early without finishing his English homework, it had been nearing ten and Taeyong had … _so much_ to do.

Four hours later and he only had to finish these five questions to end his math assignment – a task given to him over the holidays and due in a week – but Taeyong’s head was hurting, his vision was spinning, and he felt like he was going to throw up.

He didn’t, thank goodness, but he almost fainted when he got up to go get some water.

“What’s the matter with me?” Taeyong murmured as he pulled open the fridge, pulling an unopened bottle of water out and downing a third of it in less than a minute. He felt his mind clear when he got something in his stomach, letting the cold of the fridge wash over him and liven him up.

As he stood there drinking, Taeyong looked around the kitchen and sighed heavily when a wave of nostalgia rippled through him – two-year-old Taeyong sitting at the table on his father’s lap as his mother fed him; three-year-old Taeyong running across the table to jump into his father’s arms, giggling loudly; four-year-old Taeyong standing on a chair to help his mother roll dough for Korean delicacies.

Five-year-old Taeyong sitting in his chair when his mother told him she was pregnant with his younger brother, his father holding her hand. Five-year-old Taeyong grinning widely as he jumped off his chair to walk to his mother and lay gentle hands on her flat stomach, leaning in close to kiss the skin over her shirt and whisper, _“I’ll be your big brother. I can’t wait to see you.”_

A soft smile tugged at Taeyong’s lips when he remembered his mother whilst she was pregnant, and how he had ‘stepped up’ to help. It had been so cute, his short and pudgy frame toddling next to his mother, helping her sit down and always keeping her company as his father worked.

He was content. He was happy.

Too bad it didn’t last long – Taeyong never knew what exactly had happened, but it began to break down months after Mark’s birth, when Taeyong would cradle his brother in his arms as his parents yelled at each other downstairs. He vividly remembered hiding under the table in the kitchen when he was almost seven, holding Mark to his chest and trying to shush him, as his mother screamed at his father in the living room. When he heard a large thump and _“ Lee Haeyoung!”_, followed by a large crash – what later turned out to be a vase Taeyong had painted at school for his parents, crashing onto the floor when his mother had thrown it at the wall – Mark had screamed, and the voices quietened. Enough for Taeyong to curl around his brother and kiss his forehead, silently pleading through his own tears for Mark to calm down.

After that, his father was rarely home, and his mother was more and more distant until his father eventually never returned, and his mother rarely spoke to them. Taeyong learnt how to cook and care for a toddler at an age that was too young, and he spent more time with the Nakamoto’s than he did in his own home.

_(When he accidentally called Ms Nakamoto ‘Mom’ for the first time, all he’d gotten was a sad smile in return)_

It was past two am, and Taeyong could feel his breathing shaking as he shoved the water back into the fridge, shoving his palms into his eyes because he wasn’t breaking down for the second time that day.

It was past two am when Taeyong finally dragged himself upstairs and fell asleep, fingers tight in his blankets and tears drying on his cheeks.

 

* * *

 

 

Wednesdays were one of the best days of the week, in Johnny’s opinion.

After hugging his mother and father goodbye for the day, he was driving over to Lucas and Jaehyun’s – _yes, Johnny can drive_ – to pick them up.

“God, shut _up!_ ” Jaehyun yelled, rubbing his eyes, as he opened his door and stomped out. Lucas followed, locking it behind him, phone pressed to his ear and mouth moving rapidly in conversation. Johnny beeped the horn once more, grinning as Jaehyun flipped him off and slid into the passenger seat.

“You could’ve woken my parents up,” he griped as he did his seatbelt up, Lucas sliding into the backseat. Johnny scoffed, kicking it into gear and driving off.

“Your parents are at work, don’t start with me. What’s the monster doing in the back?” Johnny asked, Lucas’ conversation background sound as he turned the car radio down.

“I don’t know,” Jaehyun whined, leaning back in his seat and closing his eyes. “He’s been talking to Mark all morning; they’re _inseparable_.”

Johnny couldn’t help but laugh softly at Jaehyun’s dramatics, reaching over to clap his knee comfortingly.

“At least he’s best friends with the captain’s young brother – imagine if he’d befriended some _hooligan_.”

“He _is_ the hooligan!”

“Who’s the hooligan?” Lucas piped up from the back, phone now lying next to him and conversation with Mark having ended. “Is it me? Hyung!”

 

Sliding into his last class of the day – English – was always interesting because this was the class that he _always_ got some form of entertainment out of.

This was the only class that he shared with Taeyong _and_ Yuta.

Sure, Johnny had other classes with either one of them, but both at one time was a sure-fire recipe for both entertainment and disaster.

Taeyong was the best student in the whole school, consistently pulling the highest marks and generally being better than everyone else, but he always rose to Yuta’s teasing and they always argued.

Every. Single. Time.

Pulling his books out and tiredly smiling in greeting to his seat mate – Sanghyuk Han, a demon in pale skin and weirdly-tinted orange hair – Johnny watched as everyone trudged in. Surprisingly, Yuta was one of the first people; swathed head to toe in his usual emo garb, it wasn’t common to see him so early.

It was even more rare to see him earlier than Taeyong.

Johnny was confused, especially when Taeyong had raced in five minutes late, hair askew and cheeks flushed like he had a fever.

“Disappointing,” the teacher had droned as if Taeyong was constantly late instead of missing five minutes _once_ , and the visible breaking of his expression constricted Johnny’s heart. He nodded quickly and slid into his seat at the front, ignoring the slight snickering from the back – _(not Yuta, for once)_ – to pull out his books.

Johnny wasn’t going to be weird and stare at Taeyong, but there was something different about him – he looked _exhausted_. His cheeks were still flushed, and his eyes looked wet when he ran in. His hair was all askew, his skin pale, his eye-bags dark; Taeyong looked a whole mess.

What was even more surprising is that the entire lesson passed without a peep from either him _or_ Yuta; the latter quietly writing in his book, actually listening to the teacher.

 

“It was so … weird,” Johnny murmured as he leant against Jaehyun, perched on the back of his car. Jaehyun nodded, eyes closed, as he slowly ate his ice-cream. They had driven to the nearby service station for some food, coming back to the school parking lot to wait for Lucas to get out of tutoring.

“What else happened?” Jaehyun murmured, voice thick with sleepiness and ice-cream.

“Nothing! They just, they were both _quiet_ , and Yuta looked like he actually worked! Everyone was very …” Johnny trailed off, sitting up slightly to look at something. He jostled Jaehyun as he moved, the younger whining pitifully before cracking an eye open.

“ _Johnny_ , what gives?” he moaned, moving to sit up with him. Johnny motioned with his head, not wanting to give away what they were looking at to anyone else.

“Over there, Jae. Look – by the gates.”

There, over by the gates, stood Yuta Nakamoto and Taeyong Lee.

 _Talking_.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> uh huh huh.
> 
> sorry yall will get doil and tenkun back next update i PROMISE, theyre already written in.  
> \---  
> follow and talk to [me](https://www.twitter.com/johnyutaes) on twitter.
> 
> send me stuff in [my curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/yutacity).

**Author's Note:**

> follow and talk to [me](https://www.twitter.com/johnyutaes) on twitter.
> 
> send me stuff in [my curiouscat](https://curiouscat.me/yutacity).
> 
> bye bye!


End file.
